London-based, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nick Etwell has worked with an electric and varied list of music legends and superstars including David Axelrod, Beck, Roger Daltrey, Foo Fighters, Noel Gallagher and Tom Jones, as well as a decade-plus long stint touring with Mumford & Sons. Over the years, Etwell has leaned heavily into his deep and abiding passion for Black American music, working with Carla Thomas, Ronnie Spector, Mavis Staples, Cyril Neville, Fred Wesley, Jill Scott, Thee Sacred Souls, Antibalas, Jon Cleary and Adrian Quesada.
Along with his busy schedule as a highly-sought after session player, Etwell is the founder and leader of the soul jazz outfit The Filthy Six, an act that features a collection of highly accomplished members who have worked with Amy Winehouse, Jack White, Dionne Warwick, Mark Ronson, Robbie Williams, Jamie Cullum, Duran Duran and Madness. The London-based sextet has released three albums on UK label Acid Jazz back in the 2010s, while firmly cementing themselves as one most authentic soul jazz acts in the UK — and as one of the most eclectic live acts in the UK scene.
Sonically, the London-based sextet take the blueprint of legendary Blue Note and Prestige Records artists Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Jack McDuff and others and add a bunch of modern influences to the mix, giving the classic soul jazz sound a bit of a modern sensibility and flair.
Etwell and company’s fourth album Return of The Swagger Junkies: Vol. 1 is slated for a November 27, 2026 release through Color Red. Throughout the album, their unique blend of soul jazz, funk blues and Boogaloo present musical adventures for the mind, body and soul — with a heavy dose of filthy, nasty ass funk. Trust me here, we all need a little bit of that stank in our lives, y’all. The album will also feature guest spots from longtime collaborator Snowboy on percussion.
Return of The Swagger Junkies: Vol. 1‘s first single “911 Blue (For George)” is a hauntingly gorgeous, and mournful composition that seems to channels the despair and anger of Billie Holiday‘s rendition of “Strange Fruit” that reflects on the senseless brutality of that horrible day and of a life snuffed out — on television.
Written as a tribute to George Floyd following his tragic death in Minneapolis, the composition was originally released as a standalone quartet recording featuring Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurence. But for the subtly reworked rendition, Etwell wanted to capture the greater weight and emotional depth of the full sextet, while reflecting the darkness and pain of the subject matter.
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